Automatic rotary dump



Mar. 6, 1923. v

E. RAMSAY. AUTOMATIC ROTARY DUMP.-

. FILED 0CT.3I, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET '1.

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1,447,428 E. RAMSAY.

AUTOMATIC ROTARY DUMP. FILED 0CT.31.1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- Erskine Ramsay.

Patented Mar. 6, 1923.

LMYAZd ERSKINE RAMSAY, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

'AU'IOIMATIC ROTARY DUMP.

Application filed ()ctober 31, 1921. Serial No. 511,656.

T 0 all w [tom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERSKINE Ramsay, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson. and Stateof Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Rotary Dumps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a rotary dump adapted for automatic operationresponsive to the joint control of buffer springs and gravity, whichlatter is brought into play either by the unbalanced position of thecenter of gravity of the car in the dump or by the incorporation ofadditional counterweight means to unbalance the dump, or by both inco-operation.

It is a feature of my invention that such supplemental unbalancingcounterweights, when used, shall be so disposed as to be ef' fective forthe starting of the dumps movement both in the direction that it movesto dump and in the opposite direction as it starts back on its return,my invention contemplating that the dump shall have only a partialrotation.

h/Iy invention further contemplates the mounting of the dump to rotateabout a fixed center responsive to the joint control of gravity andsprings, which latter serve as buffers to stop the partial rotations ofthe dump in either or both directions, and to store energy with which tostart the dump quickly when released for operation.

My invention further contemplates the provision of means, automatic inits action, to latch the dump in initial upright position and, ifdesired, in inverted position with the appropriate spring buffers heldunder compression and thus adapted to co-operate with gravity-in quicklyovercoming the inertia of the dump.

My invention also comprises the novel details of construction in thedesign and arrangement of the dump counterweights, of the automaticlatch means, and of the means for operating a series of said latchessimul-, taneously where the dump is elongated to receive a number. ofcars. 7

According to the drawings which illustrate a typical embodiment only ofmy invention:

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of the dump shown in initial or uprightposition with the spring buffer or buffers on one side held undercompression by the engagement of the latch with the buffer latch lug orlugs on the dump.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1 showing the dump broken away.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic end view of the dump in upright position withits tracks on center but sufficiently tilted to unbalance the dumpwithout however displacing the car coupling substantially out of linewith the axis of the dump.

Fig. 4 is a similar diagrammatic View showing the dump unbalanced byshifting its level track so as to bring the vertical center line of thecar to one side of the center line of the dump, a counterweight beingalso used.

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the dump adapted to operate without theassistance of a counterweight.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout thedrawings.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated, I show a rotary dumpwhich may be fabricated in any well known manner, but which, as shown,is formed by spaced riding rings 1 connected together lengthwise of thedump by top angles 2 and by side plates 3, the dump having opposite eachring a cross angle 4: attached to plates 5 which are bolted or rivetedthrough the side plates 3 of the dump to the rings 1 and which carry theoverhanging angle bars 6 which extend lengthwise of the dump on eachside and serve as hold-downs for the axles 7 or other desired part ofthe mine car or cars 8, the wheels 9 of which are shown riding the rails10 which extend lengthwise through the dump and are supported by thecross angles 4;. Each riding ring is adapted to rest on two supportingtrunnion wheels 11 mounted in bearings 12 on any suitable support 13. Asshown, this support is arranged below the tipple floor level 1 1 onwhich is mounted at each side of the dump the seats 15 and 16 for thebutter springs 17 which normally project substantially above the toplevel of the seats. I pivot to each seat 16 by a pin 18, a latch 19, theupper end of which is adapted to be forced outwardly by an approachingbuffer lug 20 on the dump and to snap back into position above this lugto hold the dump in initial position with the adjacent spring 17 underthe lug held under any desired compression. The latch itself has anoverhung outerlip or trip arm spaced from the latch so as to form apocket 21 for a crank 22 on a crank shaft 28, the pocket being designedto permit the latch to be pushed both against the crank sufficiently tolet the buffer lug 20 pass the latch. The crank shaft 23, which in thepreferred arrangement carries the several cranks 22, has at suitableintervals bearings 24 and an operating lever 25 ismade fast to the shaftwith its free inner end engaged by a coil spring 26 which normally pullsthe lever and shaft cranks to the full line position, Fig. 1. and causesthe cranks to press the latches towards the dump. By grasping the handleand moving it to dotted position, Fig. 1, the cranks will all engage thelips 21 and will move all of the latches together to release the lugs 20simultaneously so that the adj acentsprings 17 are free to expand andgive the dump a quick start.

If desired the dump may have one or more counterweights of any suitablecharacter, such for instance as the cylinders 27 arranged on itsdischarge side and disposed below the horizontal center line of the dumpThese cylinders may be attached" to the riding rings in any desiredmanner, as by bent metalstr'aps 28 or by being passed through a suitableopening in the plate 5. Obviously, there may be one or more than one ofsuch counterweights employed, ac cor'ding't-o the operating conditionsconfronting the user. The latches and buffer springs canbearranged atsuitable intervals along the'length of the dump, which length will varyaccordingtothenumber of cars to be handledat a'time in the dump.

InFigj3 I show a'modified manner of unbalancing the dump. Here the crossangle 4" stands at an acute anglefto a horizontal plane inclineddownwardly towards the dumps discharge side and this will cause theca'rto tilt to one side. though leaving its coupling 29 still concentricwith the axis of the dump as is the case of Fig. 1. The loaded car willthus unbalance the dump both overhead and towards its discharge side.The dump'isfu'rther unbalanced by a counten balance weight exemplifiedby the cylinder 27 mounted by its fastening straps 28 on the ridingrings in the lower quadrant of the upright dump'on its discharge side.

In Fig. 4 the car is set lower in the dump andits track is horizontalbutis shifted to one side so as to unbalance the dump overhead andon" itsdischarge side. Here the dump is also'provided wit-h a counter-balanceweight, such as 27, ha ving fastening straps 28, butin Fig. 5, whichotherwise corresponds to Fig. 4, this counterweight is absent and thedump must rely on the force of gravity resulting from its unbalancedcondition and from the spring 17 to start it quickly from initialposition and to carry it through its dumping and return travel. In thesethree latter figures the dump riding rings are each provided with abuffer lug 20 which is intended to co-operate with its respectivesprings 17 and latch 19, not shown, in exactly the same manner asdescribed in connection with the dump shown in Figs. land 2.

In operation, the loaded car or cars to be dumped are run into the dumpwhich is held in initial position, as shown in Fig. 1, by the latches 19engaging the lugs 20 which held under compression their respectivesprings 17. If there are a large number of cars in the dump there willbe more than two of these springs and latches, all of which are operatedin unison by the common crank shaft 23. A desired amount ofcounterweighting material, regardless of its character, can beconveniently introduced into the counterweight cylinders 27 until therequisite weight to produce the desired operation is obtained. In Fig. 1this counterweight and the energy stored in the compressionof the buffersprings 17 on the other side'ot' the dump are the sole means relied uponin'starting the dump from initial position. As the dump starts to rotatethe loaded car, the center of gravity of which is above the center ofthe dump, becomes unbalanced towards the dumps discharge side and thusco-o'pera-tes with the counterweights to give it momentum which willswingit through the desired are necessary to dischargeits contents,which is generally somewhat less than a half revolution. After. the cardumps its contents its center of gravity changes and is again above thecenter ofthe' dump and'thus it will cooperate with the counterweights inacting to slow up the dump as it approaches the end of its dumpingrotation which end it reaches approximately at the time that its lug orlugs 20 strike and compress-their respective buffer springson theopposite side of the dump from the latch. These'bufi'er springsco-operate with the then reversely unbalanced dump, due to the positionof the counterweights andthe center of gravity of the inverted car, tostart the dump back quickly on its return rotation, it beingob3 servedthat the running gear of the inverted car and the counter-weights 27 arein a position when the dump starts'ba'ck to exert their maximumgravitating influence to give the dump considerable momentum as it tendsto swing back to initial position andthis mo mentum willca'rry the dumpback'and cause the buffer lugs to engage and compress the right handbufler springs 17 after passing the latches 19. These latches, by virtueof the pressure exerted on them through spring 26. will snap back overthe buffer lugs and hold the dump with the right hand buffer springsunder compression and in this position the empty cars can be removed andloaded cars replaced in the dump, whereupon the operation is repeated.

The operation as described is the same for the design shown in Figs. 3to 5, except that in Fig. 3 the car being dumped can remain coupled tothe other cars in a train or to its haulage means as its coupling issubstantially. in the center of the dump, while in Figs. 4 and 5 thecoupling is displaced below and to one side of the dump center and willthus, when too far of]? center for the coupling used, require thedisconnection of the cars in the dump from cars in the same trainoutside of the dump, but if a whole train of cars is being dumped at atime this may be accomplished without disconnecting the train from thehaulage means. The counterweight cylinders permit the ready insertionand removal of coimterweighting material therein to the end that thedump can be readily balanced to the extent desired.

My invention may be variously modified without departing from itssubstance as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. A rotary automatic dump adapted to rotate partially about its longaxis, roller supports for the dump, a track in the dump adapted tosupport a car therein so that when loaded its center of gravity will beabove the center line of the dump and when empty below the center lineof the dump, and counterweight means mounted in the dump in position tounbalance the dump when upright on its discharge side, said weight beingdisposed to counter-balance the inverted dump on the opposite side.

2. A rotary automatic dump adapted to rotate partially about its longaxis, roller supports for the dump, a track in the dump, and acounterweight means mounted in the lower quadrant of the dump on theside towards which its initial dumping movement is directed.

3. A rotary automatic dump adapted to rotate partially about its longaxis, roller supports for-the dump, a track in the dump disposed tobring the center of gravity of a loaded car above the center of the dumpand of an empty car below the center of the dump, and a counterweightmeans mounted in the lower quadrant of the dump on the side towardswhich its initial dumping movement is directed.

4. A rotary automatic dump adapted to rotate partially about its longaxis, roller supports for the dump, a track in the dump disposed tobring the center of gravity of a loaded car above the center of the dumpand of an empty car below the center of the dump, a. counterweight meansmounted in the lower quadrant of the dump on the side towards which theinitial dumping movement is directed, and means to arrest the dump atthe completion of a predetermined partial rotation.

5. A rotary automatic dump adapted to rotate partially about its longaxis, roller supports for the dump, a track in the dump disposed tobring the center of gravity of a loaded car above the center of thedump: and of an empty car below the center of the dump, counterweightmeans mounted in the lower quadrant of the dump on the side towardswhich its initial dumping movement is directed, and means to arrest thedump at the completion of a predetermined partial rotation ofapproximately 160 degrees.

6. A rotary dump adapted to rotate partially about its long axis, rollersupports for the dump, car tracks in the dump, a buffer lug mounted onthe dump, a. spring buffer adapted to be engaged and depressed by thebuffer lug as the dump returns to initial position after dumping, andlatch means to catch and hold the dump in initial position with thebufi'er spring under tension.

7 A rotary automatic dump adapted to rotate about its long axis, rollersupports for the dump, a track in the dump adapted to receive a car tobe dumped, means to unbalance the dump with a loaded car upright thereinso that it will tend automatically to rotate, a buffer lug on the dump,a spring bufi'er adapted to be engaged by the buffer lug when the dumphas completed a predetermined partial rotation, said spring acting as acushion stop and to start the dump back on its return travel, and meansto stop and latch the dump in initial position.

8. A rotary automatic dump adapted to rotate about its long axis, rollersupports for the dump, a track in the dump adapted to receive a car tobe dumped, means to unbalance the dump with a loaded car upright thereinso that it will tend automatically to rotate, a buffer lug on the dump,a spring buffer adapted to be engaged by the buffer lug when the dumphas completed a predetermined partial rotation, said spring acting tocushion and start the dump back on its return travel, and means to stopand latch the dump in initial position, said lat ter means comprising abuffer spring adapted to be engaged by said buffer lug, and latch meansautomatically operative to engage and hold the dump in initial position.

9. An automatic rotary dump adapted to rotate about its long axis,roller supports for the dump, a track support in the dump for a car tobe dumped, means to unbalance the dump with a loaded car upright thereinto cause it to rotate, bufler springs on opposite sides of the dump, abuffer lug adapted to co-act with the springs on both sides of the dumpto stop the dump. atboth ends of; its; travel and an automatic latchmeans to stop and hold the dump in initialposition.

10.- A rotary automatic dump adaptedto .rotate about its long axis,roller supports for? the dump, tra'ck supports inthe dump for the car tobe dumpechimeans to unbal-- ance-the dump With a loadedcar-therein tocause it to rotate, a bufi'enlug. on the dump, a buffer spring adaptedtobe engaged and compressed by the lug'as the dump. swings:

back to initial position, and a spring pressedlatch adapted tobe'tripped'b'y said lug and to hold it in initial position with saidbuffer spring under substantial compression.

11. A rotary automatic dump adapted to rotate about its long axis,rollersupports-fon the dump, a track in the dump for thecars tobedumped, means "to unbalance the dump with loaded cars-therein, aseriesof loufier.

lugs mounted at intervals along the dump,- a buffer spring. adapteditobeengagedhy each bufl'er lugasthe dump swlngs back to initial position, aseries of: latches adapted to engagesthe buffer lugs anollatch'the dumpgage all of the latches andreleasethe dump= for rotation.

In testimony whereof I' atfix my signature.

ERSKINE RAMSAY.

Witness NOMIE VVELSH;

